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Prey
Prey is a short story written by user Echo 1 for the Custom BIONICLE Wiki Character Swapping Contest of 2015, revolving around his assigned character, Shard. ''Prey'' Rain fell. It was a common occurrence on the island of Visorak, and the monsoon season was just beginning. The sky was dusk-grey despite it being near midday. A small patrol of the island’s namesake Rahi moved through the grasses on the hunt. The five spiders traversed through the prairie silently, moving along the rain-soaked terrain like shadows across a wall. The lead Visorak paused at the sight of a strange rock formation, which looked like a mismatched pile of stones piled in the middle of the plain. It sniffed it, and, after deeming it nothing more than what it appeared, motioned for the rest to follow around the boulder. The Rahi stepped over and around the slippery rock without a second thought. Once he was sure they were out of the way, Shard stood up, electric-green eyes gleaming out of his mud-painted Kanohi Elda. Covered from head to toe in mud, soil, and vegetation, the Dark Hunter looked more like an old Po-Matoran sculpture given life than a deadly Marjosean assassin. He had been waiting on this island for days, tracking down an elusive target. Whoever it was, they must have been desperate for solitude to come all the way to Visorak. All Shard had on the victim was a name - Crulach -and the pay he would get for killing him. Shard journeyed across the plains, hoping to come across no more Visorak. The spiders could seem weak, but in groups, the Dark Hunter knew they were deadly, and he had no intention of becoming a meal or part of some recreational mutation and disposal. Shard called upon his Kanohi Elda, Mask of Detection. His vision became blurry as the mask’s power took hold. An ethereal trail of light emerged from Shard’s form, moving off into the distance in the direction of the being he was tracking. However, the mask revealed something else: his target was moving toward him, judging by how the beam of light was moving into his body. He crouched back down and waited. Hopefully, it would not be long until the target would reach him. The rain continued to fall. Another pack of Visorak passed by, this one much larger than before. An unlucky Muaka tiger got in their way, and the spiders descended upon it, tying it up with webbing and forcing it to the ground. The fearsome Rahi’s terrified shrieks were soon muffled as the Visorak began injecting venom. It stopped struggling, and the Visorak began their meal. Shard watched the sight and slowly started formulating a plan. He turned back to the horizon where his victim was approaching from. He caught eye of the target crossing a hill, wrapped in a cloak to stay insulated in the rain. The Marjosean scowled. It was a Toa. A being responsible for the death of his friends back on Marjos Nui. Suddenly, Shard realized why the Shadowed One had sent him on this mission. It was personal. He smiled, knowing that he would get a little bit of vengeance along with his pay. As the Toa drew closer, Shard could make out the armor he wore. This was a Toa of Earth, clad in black armor with purple accents. Beneath his Kanohi Akaku burned dark green eyes. He looked nervous, almost paranoid, but still carried himself with that haughty gait all Toa shared. Despite obviously being on the run from something, the Toa made no effort to conceal himself on the desolate prairie. Shard began to adjust his plan, making his smile grow bigger. Toa were insufferable heroes, and he was going to play that to his advantage. A glow enveloped the Dark Hunter as he activated his shapeshifting powers. Armor and muscle shifted, losing their jagged, rough edges and becoming lithe and smooth. The black faded from his color, becoming a shade of light azure. The only part Shard didn’t change with this illusion was his mask, leaving it as the same Kanohi Elda. He stayed hidden in the grass, waiting for his enemy Toa to get closer. When the time was right, he shot a blast of ice at the Visorak, who were nearly finished with the Muaka. One of them shrieked, and they gave chase. Shard forced up a worried expression and dashed out of the prairie, the Visorak not far behind. ---- Crulach moved down the plains of Visorak, looking over his shoulder and tightening his cloak around his form. The rain was cold, and he hoped no one would follow him into this deluge. After all, it wasn’t his fault. He had no idea where those launchers were supposed to be going. He sighed. If he was lucky, he might get eaten out in the middle of nowhere and deprive some Brotherhood-sponsored assassin of their paycheck. Thunder rolled across the plains, and Crulach caught sight of someone running toward him. It was impossible! A Toa of Water? Here? On Visorak? Was she suicidal? He then saw the pack of Visorak tailing her, gnashing their mandibles and screeching as they bore down upon the helpless Toa of Water. She must have depleted her elemental energies. “Help!” cried the girl, her voice far deeper than expected. Not wanting to fail a fellow Toa, Crulach pulled his hammer from his belt and charged into battle. Passing the Toa of Water, he swung his weapon into the first Visorak, sending it flying. He encased another in a sphere of earth and rolled it away. A third Visorak jumped on him, though he tore it off and knocked it unconscious with a quick strike. Two more spiders lunged for his legs, though he disposed of them with a seismic blast. “Are you okay?” Crulach asked, turning in time to see the Toa of Water throw a glass knife into his leg. Pain exploded through his limbs as the weapon tore through his left knee. The supportive muscles gone, he collapsed to the ground. “What in the Pit?” Then, the Toa of Water’s form began to ripple. Slowly, her armor shifted, becoming more jagged and rough. Muscle appeared where once there was none, and the being easily gained a mask in height. He screamed when he saw the Dark Hunter’s form settle back into its natural state. Crulach had heard of this Marjorsean assassin, and he did not want to become its next victim. “No!” he shouted. “No! You’re not supposed to be here!” Crulach began crawling. Another knife sank itself into his elbow, crippling that joint as well. His limbs burned as if molten protodermis was coursing through his veins. He rolled over as the Marjosean walked over, towering over him. The Dark Hunter wore a grim smile on its face. “I didn’t steal anything!” the Toa screamed. “I-“ The mercenary stabbed a knife into his right leg. “I don’t care what you did,” it said, twisting the weapon and making the Toa scream again. “You’re just worth a lot of money right now.” The Visorak began to stir, regaining their bearings on the world. One of them rolled back onto its feet and hissed loudly. The others followed its lead. ---- Shard watched as the Visorak began to regroup, chattering what he assumed were death threats in their own language. The Toa, moaning in pain, had stopped talking. To be honest, Shard really had no idea what this Toa had done, but his actions mattered not to him. Crulach had simply earned the ire of someone with enough money to make the Shadowed One send an assassin after him, and he was unlucky enough to have that assassin be Shard. He ripped the Toa’s Kanohi from his face and put it in his pack for proof of a successful mission and put another knife in the Toa for good measure, twisting it into his right lung. He then stepped back and let the Visorak finish the job for him. As he walked to the shore to board his vessel, he enjoyed the sweet, sweet sounds of a Toa screaming his last. The rain continued to fall as the Visorak began their next meal. Trivia *Crulach's name comes from the Irish word for "cruel," serving as an indicator for what may have earned him the attention of the Dark Hunters. *The island of Visorak is indeed a location in the canon Bionicle universe, and was the home of Tobduk's species.